Over 50 teams and a bumper crowd came to Frome RFC’s Gypsy Lane on Saturday 10th June to take part in the annual Frome 7s Festival.
The festivities kicked off on the Friday evening with the invitational exhibition match which saw Lockerstash take on an international XV.
With the sun still shining on Saturday morning, the pool stages of the competition kicked off at 10am, with over 1,000 people visiting the club and enjoying the festival atmosphere with a great selection of food and drink stalls, music and of course a wide range of entertaining rugby on display.
Saturday’s games comprised of five levels of competition; the Men’s Super-Social, Men’s Social, and the Women’s Social, with the highest level of rugby being played in both the Women’s Open and Men’s Open.
Frome 7s organiser Mike Rutt commented, “It was great to see how excited everyone was about coming back to the Frome 7s! It’s really become one of the ‘go to’ competitions and it’s a credit to all the team who put the effort in behind the scenes.
“With the 50 plus teams taking part, it was one of the biggest festivals we’ve held, with the popularity of the Frome 7s being clear to see. I must say thank you to everyone who attended, we’ve been lucky to have some fantastic teams come and take part from all across the UK and further afield.
“Of course, a special mention must go to all of the volunteers that helped the day run so smoothly, without you it wouldn’t be possible. I must also say a particular thanks to Roger Gilson. We are looking forward to continuing to grow the festival and hope to see everyone return next year.”
Frome RFC’s Roger Gilson added, “I would like to express my sincere thanks to all of the teams for a fantastic day of rugby, which was played in great spirit. A massive shout out must also go to the referees for their sterling efforts in the heat and humidity. A massive thank you also to the Frome RFC and community volunteers who supported us in the lead up and on the day to help make what was an amazing weekend and a spectacle of rugby.”
The Men’s Super Social competition saw hotly contested pool stages with plenty of flair, outrageous kit designs, fancy dress and fun rugby on display. It was Cherubs RFC who won the cup final with a win over Jager’s RFC; What a Bunch of Flankers secured the Plate Final with a walk over win, whilst the Super Social Bowl was secured by the festival favourites and Super Social legends, The Pig Wrestlers.
The Ladies’ Social competition welcomed back some regular faces with London Bears, Hornets and The Cherubs all featuring as well as local rugby clubs from the surrounding area. North Bristol RFC won the cup final, with Hackney Gladies bringing home the Plate, whilst the London Bears won the Bowl final.
The Men’s Social welcomed lots of top teams to the Lane, Hurn Airport Windsocks winning the Social Cup final. Black Swan 7s took home the Social Plate and the Mavericks won the Social Bowl.
The Open Competition saw one of the most hotly contested pools in Frome 7s history, and the Ladies’ Open saw some big names taking part, including Bath Rugby, Bamboo 7s, Savvy Panthers to name a few. Hammerhead 7s secured the Open Cup in a thriller of a final whilst Bath Rugby 7s won the Plate, and the Carmarthen Warriors took home the Open Bowl.
The Men’s Open welcomed back many regular faces of the competition with Empire 7s, Marist Old Boys, Bamboo 7s, Akuma Ratana Toa, RLC 7s the Carmarthen Warriors, Acorn 7s and the Apache Braves. It was the Apache 7s who secured the Open Cup in the final against Empire 7s.
Photos by Mark Sangster.
